On humans and polishing cloth
by soundbarrier
Summary: G1 - Very short fic. Thundercracker cleans up and ponders the human issue. Rated M for safety due to graphic reference to human death.


Thundercracker cleans up and ponders the human issue. Rated M for safety - graphic reference to human death.

A/N - Thundercracker is commonly referred to as being uncertain about the cause, and specifically not being keen on killing humans. I wanted approach this without leaning much on genuine empathy from him, more of a pragmatic thought process on his part that leads to a vague discomfort. Just seems more fitting to his personality to me.

I don't own Transformers.

_Squish. Squish. Squish._

Thundercracker paused.

"Warp, how many of them are under there?"

_Squish._

"Dunno. Four or five maybe."

"That's disgusting. You're trailing that stuff all over the ship. Can't you be more careful?"

"Why? I mean, it's fun. They're crunchy."

Thundercracker shuddered. "Disgusting. Seriously revolting. You're not coming to berth without washing that off. All of it."

"You stepped on one too, you know"

"I _did_ not. I'm careful where I put my pedes."

"Nah, I saw you. When we left the plant one of them tried to run and you squished it."

Thundercracker stopped. He cautiously lifted his right pede to look underneath. Nothing.

He apprehensively lifted the left, and there sure enough, was a red organic mess.

"Eww. _Primus_ it's been there all along?"

"Told ya"

"Why didn't you tell me earlier! It's filthy Warp!"

"Guess you're coming to the washracks with me then?" Skywarp grinned.

"Heh, I'm not helping you scrub that stuff off if that's what you think."

Skywarp shrugged. "Fine. Not helping you either then."

The two seekers resumed their walk in relative silence until they reached their quarters, the echo of their pedefalls permeated only by the wet _squish_ that accompanied Skywarp's steps.

Cleaning up was less of a bother than Thundercracker had expected. The squishie, what was left of it anyway, peeled off his pede well enough, and there were none of those little bone things stuck anywhere in the grooves of his thruster. Skywarp took a bit longer and was not quiet about it. _That's what you get_, Thundercracker thought. _Crunchy indeed_. And slimy. And altogether disgusting all flattened like that. The humans were an odd species though. It was strange how they could speak intelligently enough, and build machines to do everything for them, then turn to a gloppy brittle mess so easily. _Poor design - they need armour or something_. Not that it really concerned him that much. They were a nuisance to the Decepticons' plans, nothing more. Still, he couldn't help wondering why they didn't find a way to reinforce their organic weakness. The Quintessons had done it a long time ago. They were still _kind_ of organic, but not so much that they could be terminated that easily.

Thundercracker found himself pondering the humans often the longer he was on Earth. They weren't entirely stupid. However, they were woefully primitive with their technology. Maybe they just needed more time...too bad they probably wouldn't get a chance. Megatron was intent on bleeding the planet of energy to bring Cybertron back from near-devastation. It was for the best. The humans were clearly an inferior species, and 'survival of the fittest' may as well have been an official Decepticon motto. Still, it unnerved him sometimes, how hard it was for the silly things to defend their fleshy frames. Terminating them wasn't...challenging.

"Hey, TC. All clean now, see?"

Skywarp showed him the flat of his pedes for approval.

"Looking good Warp" He barely glanced up, still casually contemplative.

He was sitting on the berth polishing scuffs off his armour with an Earth-made fabric that the mechs on the ship had unanimously claimed to be "the best", ever._ One up for the humans? _That won't be enough to save them, but it's something we can take back to Cybertron. He thought that quite funny, in a pathetic sort of way. The human legacy would be a grade-A polishing fabric for their overlords' plates.

"So that was a good raid, right? I wonder if we'll get some extra high grade this time. That Autobot, the bulky red one, what's his designation, _Ironplates_ or something, anyway, he tried to shoot me in the face! But I got him good. Did you see me when I blew up that wall and it fell on him, and then he was down for the rest of the fight?"

Skywarp was in a chatty mood it seemed.

"Yeah, I saw that Warp. We did good today."

"So...you're quiet. You want to go see if there's any high grade? Blitzwing said he was gonna try to stash some. Could use a few cubes after today. Wanna go?"

"Maybe later Warp. I want to finish this." He gestured at the polishing cloth. " I'll catch up with you."

"Kay. See you later Tee". Skywarp didn't bother with the door, disappearing instead in a flash of black and purple.

Thundercracker all of a sudden felt unsettled for reasons he couldn't place. It wasn't unusual for him to be...a bit on the brooding side, but it had been happening more since Earth. And he never knew exactly why. He thought of the human he had stepped on, spiraling down the drain now in little red pieces, out into the ocean. _At least his meat will feed the ocean organics_. That's something isn't it.

He picked up the polishing cloth and resumed his post-battle grooming.

_Ironhide_. That's the mech's designation.

_Wonder what the human was called_.


End file.
